Pepper For Your Thoughts
by SilverHeart09
Summary: After Tony is wounded, it's up to Pepper to take care of him, fluff AND Pepperony, please review!
1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

_I've had this as an idea in my head for a while after watching 'Bones'._

_Please review if you want more!_

_Disclaimer- If I owned Marvel and the Fox Broadcasting Company… what would I be doing here?_

Tony Stark stretched his arms and took a sip of champagne, while watching Pepper talking with Julie Richards from accounts.

'Pepper for your thoughts?' James 'Rhodey' Rhodes asked, glancing over at Pepper.

'Uh-huh,' Tony said, still watching Pepper. Feeling his gaze on her, Pepper turned and smirked at him. Tony gave her a cheerful wave and pretended to be very interested in his drink.

Rhodey chuckled and observed the party. It was the 5th annual fire-fighters benefit and the place was packed, as it always was. The party was being held in the Walt Disney Concert hall again, however instead of the usual string section; Tony had decided to have a brass band playing Jazz in there as well, which was going down much better with the guests.

'You don't do things by half do you Tony?' Rhodey asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tony put on a mock hurt face and placed one hand over his heart. 'The day I start doing things by half will be the day I lose Pepper.'

Rhodey laughed. 'Better get in there quick then mate, looks like Justin from graphics fancies his chances.'

Tony looked over at Justin, who appeared to be making a beeline for Pepper. 'Not if I can help it,' he said, grinning at Rhodey.

Tony made it to Pepper quicker than Justin who stopped and looked like he wanted to murder Tony. Tony snuck up to Pepper and took one of her hands, pulling her towards the dance floor.

'Tony…' Pepper said.

'What?' he replied grinning. 'You can't say that you don't love Jazz music.'

Pepper sighed, 'I do love Jazz music but I object to the way people dance to it.'

Tony laughed, 'you mean like this?' and he spun her round, making her shriek; 'Tony stop it!'

Tony smirked and spun round with her a few times. 'You don't have to worry Pep; I'm not planning on abandoning you on a roof again.'

Pepper rolled her eyes. 'Glad to hear it.'

The song came to an end and the people made their way back to their seats as the lights dimmed and a spotlight appeared on the stage. 'Okay Tony, speech time, please tell me you have one.'

Tony shrugged, 'I'll wing it, go join Rhodey.'

Pepper, feeling apprehensive, made her way back to their table, which consisted of the three of them as Tony stepped up to the stage. Instantly, the room hushed, and Tony grinned at everyone. Usually he left it to Obadiah Stane to do the speeches but after his 'plane accident' Tony found himself exploring other sections of his creative side, but since the press loved the 'bad-boy of Stark Industries', Tony wasn't worried.

'I'm sure you all remember,' Tony began, 'that infamous occasion when my father decided it was necessary to set the building on fire by not observing the red dial when testing a new weapon.'

There was a ripple of laughter and many of the older employers who had worked with Howard Stark grinned and wondered what he was going to say next.

'Whether or not my father had a grudge against the building will probably never be know,' Tony continued. 'Personally I think it was a great excuse to cue a partial re-build.' (More laughter) 'I'd just got back from MIT when I saw all the fire engines outside; I was with James Rhodes at the time… wave Rhodey, thanks… and neither of us thought it was a big thing. In fact, it was such a daily occurrence that my mother and I suggested that perhaps a Stark Industries personal fire service should be considered.'

The audience was defiantly warmed up now, and laughter echoed throughout the room. At the back, Tony could see Pepper and Rhodey giving him the thumbs up.

'If you take into account the number of times "Stark Industries" and "fire" have been put together in the headlines it could probably be considered a miracle that the building has survived this long at all, and the only roadblock preventing the building from being a pile of rubble is the Los Angeles Country Fire Department who have had to deal with my father so many times I'm amazed they haven't been forced into early retirement, so thanks guys, this evening's for you. Enjoy the party.' Tony exited the stage to a thunder of applause and made his way back to Pepper who laughed and said, 'Okay fine, you pulled that one off.'

Tony held his arms out, 'see? Child protégée what did I tell you?'

Pepper grinned and as the Jazz band started up again Tony pulled Pepper back onto the dance floor. Before she could protest Tony said, 'Peps, I just managed to wing a speech, you owe me a dance.' Pepper shut her mouth and glared at him.

It had got busier and the amount of people in the room had increased dramatically. Tony surveyed the party thoughtfully. 'Is it just me or is it busier than last year?'

Pepper looked round, 'I think it is, but from what I've heard, Stane made people feel uncomfortable.'

Tony walked over to the bar to get a drink, when, even above the noise, he heard the unforgettable sound of a gun being cocked.

Around him, it suddenly went quiet.

Tony turned round, and it felt as if time was moving slower. He felt like he was in a Guy Ritchie movie and every other frame was slow motion. He saw where the noise had come from, a young blond woman in a black dress with an empire line, gun in her hand. Tony had automatically assumed that the gun would be pointed at him, but it wasn't.

It was pointed at Pepper.

Pepper turned round, her expression unreadable. Tony felt his legs pushing him forward; he saw the gun jerk back in the woman's hand as she fired…

And then suddenly his legs felt like Jell-o, the Guy Ritchie movie ended and he was aware of an aching pain on the right side of his chest. He heard the woman gasp and he heard Pepper yell 'Tony!'

He looked down at his chest and at the large red stain that was blossoming over his shirt. He looked up at the woman, she looked vaguely familiar, then his legs buckled and he felt someone catch him from behind and as he crashed to the floor. Looking up he saw Rhodey, he heard the woman shouting as security dragged her away, he saw Pepper's face above his, eyes red.

_She's crying… why is she crying?_

He felt a pressure on his hand as Pepper took it in her own, his vision went hazy, Pepper's face blurred, and blackness claimed him.


	2. In The Darkness

_Italics are a flashback, _Normal text is what Tony's thinking, **and bold is what Pepper and Rhodey are saying in the real world.**

_Please review!!!_

* * *

'_Anthony! How was school?' A 16 year old Tony Stark hugged his mother, Maria. Maria looked just like him, chocolate brown eyes and dark rich hair. 'It was great mom; the professors reckon I could graduate next year!'_

_Maria laughed, she had such a beautiful laugh and for some reason that made Tony feel sad. _

Why would I be feeling sad if my mom's laughing?

'_You're a true Stark Tony and no denying it,' his mother said smiling. 'Go and see your father, I think he has a home coming present for you.'_

No, stay with my mom. Why would I do that? She'll be here when I come back up…

_Tony stepped down into the workshop and stopped still, staring in wonder. 'Is that a dodge Hot Rod?'_

_Howard Stark looked up and smiled at his son. 'Welcome home Tony. Isn't she a beauty? She'll need fixing though, what do you think? Up for it?'_

'_Yeah!' Tony jumped down and looked at the engine before laughing. 'Wow, you weren't kidding, the engine is a mess! Where did you get it?'_

'_Spotted it in a skip driving around one day, do you like it?'_

'_I love it! It's awesome!'_

That Hot Rod… did I finish it? What happened to it? What has happened to me?

'**Tony! Tony! Look at me! Look at me! Tony squeeze my hand! Tony please open your eyes!'**

I know that voice… wait, where have my parents gone? Where am I?

'**Tony it's me, it's Pepper. Please wake up, please, I need you, wake up Tony. PLEASE!'**

Pepper… wake up? Am I asleep? What happened? Why can't I remember anything?

'**Pepper?'**

'**He's in a coma, the doctors don't know if he'll make it, Rhodey I don't know what to do!'**

'**Pepper it's alright, calm down, it's okay. He'll wake up, he will.'**

'**Tony…'**

Rhodey, Pepper. Pepper? What's happened? Coma? I'm not in a coma… am I? Why would I be in a coma? Why would I be able to hear you if I'm in a coma?

The darkness has come back, but I want Pepper. Pepper where are you? How am I meant to squeeze your hand if I can't find it?

My head hurts… I can't remember… what happened. But in the blackness I don't have to.

Bye Pepper.

'**Tony!'**


	3. Beep Beep Beep

_Wow! Lots of responses already! Well here's the next chapter… please review! _

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Pepper sat at the edge of Tony's bed, looking down at her fallen boss. He was so pale, had he ever been this pale? Thinking back, Pepper was fairly certain that he'd had more colour when he came back from Afghanistan. It wasn't right for him, it didn't work, this… paleness.

Pepper took his hand and looked over at his heart monitor.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Pepper had been fairly certain that it would be the doctors needing a heart monitor when they'd seen his Arc Reactor. When they'd asked for conformation from Pepper she'd told them not to touch it, mess with it, or tell anyone about it on pain of their jobs.

They'd left it alone after that.

He was a fighter, wasn't he? Wasn't Tony a fighter? He'd certainly survived Afghanistan, surely he could survive this.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Probably.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

People woke up from comas, she knew that. But seeing Tony like this didn't make that information any easier to process.

'_I'm afraid that it's too early to tell anything. We'll only have a good idea of how to proceed if he survives the night.'_

'_How to proceed?'_

'_If he survives the night then there'll be a chance, at the moment I'm afraid the chances of him pulling through are slim…'_

'_Isn't there ANYTHING you can do?'_

'_Well… Coma victims often respond to other contact, from… loved ones, say. If you sat with him and spoke to him then it may persuade him to… come back, shall we say.'_

So here she was, sitting next to him, talking to him. And she would spend the whole night there with him; she wouldn't abandon him for a second.

'Come home, Tony,' Pepper whispered, squeezing his hand. 'Please come home…'

Beep. Beep. Beep.

* * *

Pepper stepped into Tony Stark's house. Despite the doctor's foreboding warning Tony had survived the night and she'd gone round to pick up some of his things.

'_Welcome back, Miss Potts,' _JARVIS said, making her jump. _'I have been monitoring the news, how is Mr Stark?'_

'He's in a coma,' Pepper said, crossing upstairs to Tony's room.

'_How are his responses?' _JARVIS asked, while Pepper packed pyjamas into one of Tony's many overnight bags.

'Non-existent,' Pepper replied, packing Tony's razor and shaving foam.

'_When he wakes up give him my regards,' _JARVIS said while Pepper made her way to the door.

'Of course JARVIS,' Pepper said, slipping out the door and into the back of the Rolls, driven by Happy Hogan.

'I'm sure he'll be fine, he's been through worse,' Happy said as they drove away.

Pepper only wiped her eyes and nodded. Happy paused before saying 'did you get everything you need?'

'Yes, I did, thank you Happy.'

Happy only nodded and turned his attention back to the windscreen while Pepper gave into her tears in the back.


	4. Floating And Forgetting

_Chapter 4! 4 chapters in one day! Woo!_

_Please review if you want Tony to live! _

* * *

He was floating.

At least, that's what it felt like, floating above a vast void, a sea of blackness.

It felt great, really great. He felt free; better than he had ever felt before. He couldn't remember anything, he didn't even know who he was, he only knew that he was happy and he wanted nothing to change.

Occasionally he saw faces flash past, faces he didn't recognise. A woman with brown hair and brown eyes, a tall strong built man, a bald man that made him feel uneasy, a black man with brown eyes and a concerned expression.

The one face that made him feel guilty was the face of a young woman, with red hair and blue eyes. Whenever he saw her he had the feeling that he needed to speak to her, to go back to her. But then the face would go, he'd forget and simply drift on happily.

Sometimes he heard voices. 'Mr Stark? Can you hear me?' 'Tony buddy you gotta wake up, you're staring to frighten Pepper and I.' 'Tony please wake up, I miss you, come on Tony.'

When he heard these voices, he wondered who Tony was, or Mr Stark and he'd wonder if it was him.

Then he'd forget.


	5. Charge! Clear!

_I would like to make one thing clear BEFORE you read this chapter…_

_I know NOTHING about how defibs work other than the whole 'charge, clear' thing._

_It's possible that my dialogue may have killed the patient if this happened in real life._

_I'm very sorry._

_Please review!_

_Italics are what Tony's thinking, _normal text is what's happening in the real world **and bold is what Pepper and Rhodey and the doctors are saying in the real world. **

* * *

Beep. Beep... Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

'Tony?'

Pepper leant over Tony, looking at the heart monitor. It now showed a flat line.

'Tony! No!'

Pepper pressed the panic button. 'Will someone help me?' One of the doctors ran in and checked the monitor. 'He's gone into cardiac arrest; we need to get him to resuscitation now!'

Pepper felt herself being pressed back against the wall as the doctors ran in and wheeled Tony out.

Rhodey (who'd gone to get coffee) ran in too.

'Pepper? What's going on?'

Pepper wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. 'He's gone into cardiac arrest, Rhodey he could die!'

Rhodey hugged Pepper. 'He'll be fine, Pepper. The doctors will save him.'

* * *

Tony floated free above the chaos, drifted through the clouds above the hospital. He felt light, lighter than he'd felt before.

Free.

It was a nice word, a nice way to feel.

Free.

'**Tony! No!'**

It was that voice again, the one that didn't make him feel so good, the voice that made him feel guilty.

'**Will someone help me?'**

Tony felt a tug, a tug around his heart. He felt himself being pulled.

And it _hurt._

'**Charge 200! Clear!'**

Ow!

'**No response, charge 300, clear!'**

He was being pulled, pulled back towards the hospital by his heart.

_No no no!_

Tony tried to yank himself clear; he wanted to be free again!

'**Come on Tony Stark, come on! Charge 500, clear!'**

A shot that rippled through his chest, attacking his heart, burning his chest.

He was in the room now, he could see the doctors and nurses crowded around a figure on the bed. A pale figure, eyes shut, with a metal implant imbedded in it's chest.

Tony looked down at his chest and saw the Arc Reactor.

_Was that there before? I don't remember it…_

He looked back at the figure.

_Is that me? Am I dead?_

He saw the doctor move forward with the paddles in his hand, saw him rub some sort of gel on them.

_Defibrillator, how do I know that?_

'**Charge 600! Clear!'**

A flash, a tug, a burn, a shout.

'**We have a pulse! Strong heartbeat!'**

_I'm coming home Pepper…_

Blackness.


	6. Pepper Spray Flashback

_This is kind of an 'after-resuscitation' chapter. Italics are flashback, _normal text is Tony's thoughts, **and bold is what Pepper's saying in the real world.**

_Please review!_

* * *

'_Mr Stark!'_

_Security gathered around the young woman with the red hair, trying to get her out of Tony Stark's office. _

_Tony looked up. He'd been speaking on the phone when she'd come in, demanding to speak to him._

'_Mr Stark it's really very important!'_

_Security pushed the young woman out of the door and Tony heard her yell, 'get off me I've got pepper spray!'_

_Tony decided to intervene then before things got ugly, he jumped up and motioned for them to let her through._

_The young woman stepped smartly in and brushed down her skirt. Tony flashed her his trademarked playboy grin and motioned for her to sit down._

_The woman ignored him and handing him a sheet of paper, scrawled with numbers._

'_I've found a mistake,' she said primly._

_Tony resisted the urge to laugh and instead swallowed it back down, taking the sheet from the young woman and examining the section that had been scrawled over with red pen._

_Immediately, his eyebrows went straight up._

'_I completely fudged up those two numbers,' he said staring. 'That would have cost this company…'_

'_3 million dollars,' the young woman responded, folding her arms._

_Tony looked up at her, still amazed. 'Where do you work?' he asked._

_The young woman shrugged, 'I _did _work in accounts.'_

_Tony raised an eyebrow. 'Did?'_

'_I just got fired; they wouldn't believe that you got the numbers wrong.'_

_Tony grinned, 'well… lucky for you miss…?'_

'_Potts, Virginia Potts.'_

'_Well lucky for you, Miss Potts, you get the last laugh.'_

_Miss Potts looked confused, Tony thought it looked sweet._

'_Last laugh? What do you mean?'_

_Tony perched on the edge of the desk and grabbed a pen, crossing out the two offending numbers and replacing them with the correct digits before handing the sheet back._

'_How would you like to be my PA?'_

_Miss Potts stared at him. 'Your… PA?'_

_Tony nodded. 'You're more than qualified. To start with you've got the balls to come up here and threaten my security with pepper spray when it's clear you don't have any. Plus, not many people would dare question my math.'_

'_I don't…'_

'_It's okay; I'm not going to make you decide right away. Just let me know.'_

_Miss Potts stared at him and then nodded. _

'_Thank you, Mr Stark. I'll certainly consider it.'_

_Tony grinned. 'Great! Oh… and tell your former boss that he can have your old desk, I hate people who don't listen to others.'_

_Miss Potts grinned; she couldn't help it and turned to leave._

'_Thank you, Mr Stark.'_

'_Thank _you_... Pepper.'_

_Miss Potts turned round again, 'Pepper?' _

_Tony grinned, 'Pepper, it suits you.'_

_Pepper nodded and walked out the office, leaving Tony Stark running numbers through his head and wondering how he could have fudged them up._

* * *

Pepper… that's right, that's where I remember her from. I asked her to be my PA. Is she still my PA? I wish I could remember.

'**The doctors say you're back in a coma, Tony. I'm just glad you're still alive! When you wake up, I promise I'll be here for you, I won't abandon you.'**

Pepper. I came back for you, I won't abandon you either. The second I figure out where I am, I'm coming back to you.

I promise.


	7. OW OW OW OW OW!

_Here's chapter 7, enjoy! (And then review)_

Normal text is what's happening in the real word, _Italics are Tony's thoughts, _**and bold is what Tony can hear Pepper and Nurse Polly saying.**

* * *

Pepper Potts woke up with a start. She'd fallen asleep in the chair beside Tony's bed and her neck was paying for it severally.

Muttering about how much she hated chairs, Pepper rubbed her neck and looked down at Tony.

He'd been in a coma for 2 weeks, and still showed no sign of waking up. Pepper wasn't sure if he could hear her, if he could hear anything. Pepper eyed the intravenous drip in his arm suspiciously. Since he wasn't eating anything, the doctors had had to take drastic measures. Pepper knew that Tony would be disgusted by the thought of having a drip in his arm, but he needed it to stay alive.

_And he was still so pale…_

It scared Pepper just how pale he was, and more than once she'd asked the doctors if it was normal. The wound on his chest was strapped up very tightly, and the dressing was changed daily.

Nurses still came to check his responses, but there never were any.

_Speaking of which…_

Nurse Polly stepped into the room. She was Tony's nurse, a middle aged woman with greying brown hair who was always cheerful and always managed to reassure Pepper.

'Good morning Miss Potts, good morning Mr Stark,' she said as she breezed into the room. Nurse Polly was of the very definite opinion that coma patients could, most of the time, hear what was happening around them, and always made sure that she spoke to Tony as well as Pepper.

'How are we feeling today Mr Stark?' she asked as she checked his blood pressure and flashed a light into his eyes.

Tony didn't reply, he never did.

Nurse Polly put her hand in his and asked him to squeeze it, he didn't. She asked him to move his fingers. He didn't.

Pepper looked at her. 'It isn't good, is it?'

Polly shook her head. 'I'm afraid not.' She sighed. 'Mr Stark, I'm going to have to cause you a bit of pain.'

Pepper stared. 'What?'

'I'm afraid I have to, Miss Potts,' Polly said. 'He's been unresponsive for two weeks, I have to try and get a response out of him.'

Pepper took Tony's hand and held it tightly, while Polly pressed the end of her pen into the pressure point on Tony's forehead.

She got a reaction.

Tony jerked out with his free hand, sending the lamp next to his bed flying into the wall, where it crashed, splintered, and smashed into pieces.

Pepper stared at the broken lamp and then at Tony, who was lying still again.

'Tony?'

And Pepper thought she felt the slight pressure on her hand. 'Tony!'

Polly looked down at him, 'Mr Stark? Mr Stark?'

Pepper looked up, her face joyous. 'He squeezed my hand! He really did!'

Nurse Polly beamed. 'I knew he had it in him.'

Pepper gently hugged Tony. He was still laying back, eyes shut, unresponsive, but he'd squeezed her hand, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

'**Good morning Miss Potts, good morning Mr Stark.'**

_Uh, go away, I'm trying to sleep here._

'**How are we feeling today Mr Stark?'**

_Sleepy. Go away._

Tony felt a slight pressure on his hand, he tried to move his fingers, but couldn't. He hated feeling so weak, hated not being able to control his body.

'**It's not looking good, is it?'**

_I'm trying Pepper, I'm trying._

'**Mr Stark, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cause you a bit of pain.'**

_Crap._

He felt another pressure on his hand, tighter.

_It's okay, Pepper. I'm ready._

_OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!!!!!!!!!!_

Tony's mind went red. All he could concentrate on was the pain in his forehead.

_Make it stop, make it stop._

Tony felt his arm jerk out of its own accord, he felt it connect with something, felt his arm hit it out.

The pain stopped.

_Ow, okay Pepper I lied, I wasn't ready._

Tony liked speaking to Pepper in his head, whether she could hear him or not. He always knew which one she was now because she'd been there for so long, he recognised her presence… and of course he still remembered her voice.

And her hand was still in his. Suddenly, he felt strength in his body again, just a little. He concentrated it into his hand, and squeezed Pepper's slender fingers.

_Okay, now she knows I'm still here. Sleep time._

Blackness.


	8. Of Pepper And Pi

_VERY quick chapter. I know that it's confusing who's talking which is why I've put the names next to the bold text. Italic is Tony's thoughts and __**bold is what he can hear Pepper, Nurse Polly and Rhodey saying.**_

_Please review!  
And yes, they really are the first 500 digits of pi, taken from the middle somewhere, huzzah for google :) _

* * *

'**Hello Mr Stark.'- Nurse Polly**

_Go away. _

'**How are we feeling?'- Nurse Polly**

_Bored, why else do you think I'm reciting the first 500 digits of pi over and over again? _

'**Hi Tony.'- Pepper**

_Pepper!!!_

'**Sorry I didn't come down earlier; I had some work to finish off.'- Pepper**

_Pepper Pepper Pepper Pepper Pepper._

'**How are you feeling?'- Pepper**

_Better now that you're here!_

'**Can you still squeeze my hand?'- Pepper**

_I'll give it a go, uuhh… no._

'**Never mind, maybe tomorrow.'- Pepper**

_Sorry Pepper._

'**Hey Tony mate, how're you feeling?'- Rhodey**

_Hey Rhodey, I feel like crap._

_Plus, 3 different people have just asked me 'how I'm feeling.' Is there a recurring pattern here or is it just me?_

'**Let me know if he wakes up.'- Rhodey**

'**You're not going to stay?'- Pepper**

'**I can't, I'm needed at the air force base.'- Rhodey**

'**See you later than.'- Pepper**

'**Bye Pepper, see yah Tony.'- Rhodey**

_Bye Rhodes._

'**I have to go too Tony. I'll be back this evening, I promise, okay?'- Pepper**

_Okay, bye Pepper, I'll miss you._


	9. Never Ever Let Me Go

_Chapter 9. Now I really have to write my Evening Post Article or I'll never get it done in time!_

_Please review!!!_

Rhodey sat down in front of the young woman, she had pale skin and blond hair, her name was Molly Faith and it had conspired that she'd been one of Tony's _woman._

'Why'd you shoot Tony?'

Molly looked up and glared at him. 'He got in the way, it wasn't purposeful.'

'Who were you aiming for?'

Molly leant back in the chair and rolled her eyes. 'Pepper, who else?'

'Why were you aiming for Pepper?'

Molly leant forward and put her head on her hands.

'Why do you think? To get her out of the way of course. Tony should have been mine, God only knows what _she _was doing, she didn't have a hope in hell anyway.'

Rhodey resisted the urge to slap this cold hearted blonde around the face and instead said, 'I've been visiting Tony Stark at the hospital, he only responds, or shows signs of responding, when Pepper is there.'

Molly snarled, she actually did. 'That's bollocks,' she said. 'You're making it up.

Rhodey stood up. 'I'm not making it up. Why do you think Tony would have stood in front of her if he didn't care? Now if you don't mind I have more pressing matters to attend too, such as my best friend which you've managed to put in hospital.

* * *

_Tony Stark fluttered his eyelids. It was dark, behind his eyes as well as in front of them. He'd been trying to move for the past 2 hours and all he'd managed to achieve was fluttering his eyelids, baffling the doctors how were now claiming that he might not be in a coma, well, that's what half of them thought. The other half honestly had no idea. He felt Pepper's hand on his cheek as he tried desperately to wake himself up. But he didn't… he couldn't. _

'_Come on Tony, don't stop trying,' he heard Pepper say somewhere next to his right ear. _

_He tried, but failed._

_Exhausted, Tony felt his mind drift, and go black._

* * *

Pepper sighed and sat back, running her fingers over Tony's hand. He'd been like this for 3 weeks and although occasionally his eyelids would flutter he never woke up.

Pepper looked around her. It was just gone midnight and the room was dark with only a lamp lighting up the room.

Pepper rubbed her eyes. She was tired and desperately needed some sleep.

Checking that no-one was watching, Pepper lay down on the bed next to Tony, taking his hand and moulding her body around his. Knowing that Tony was near, Pepper fell asleep quickly.

* * *

_Pressure on his hand, a soft female voice. Tony floated through the darkness. He'd learnt how to block out the faces that he didn't want to see and only concentrate on Pepper's._

_He suddenly felt warmth along his right side and more pressure on his hand. _

Pepper?

_Tony's eyelids fluttered again, and this time they opened for a brief second, allowing him to see the strawberry-blond hair of his sleeping PA. Closing his eyes again, Tony summoned up Pepper's face and drifted away with her._


	10. Falling, Falling, Falling

_He wasn't averse to being in a coma, if anything it was quite relaxing, his genius mind had already come up with new ideas for inventions that he was looking forward to testing when he got home. But recently he'd started having the same image plough through his mind. Pepper at the mercy of Obadiah Stane in the Iron Monger armour, a huge barrelled gun pointed at her face. It would make Tony shiver and he'd often feel Pepper or one of the nurses pull the blanket up tighter around him, or his heart would quicken and he'd hear the irritating beep beep beep coming from someone near his right ear. If this happened, he often heard one of the nurses conferring with a doctor, or feel Pepper stroking his arm and telling him to calm down, he was safe. _

_But sometimes he'd see her face below him when he was hanging from the roof above the Arc Reactor, and he'd feel like he was falling, falling, falling…_

* * *

He woke up; sitting bolt upright and then sinking back down as his wound complained.

It surprised Pepper so much she fell out of the chair and onto the floor.

Tony Stark hadn't intended to wake up, in fact he wasn't completely sure what caused it, he only knew that he was awake, his head hurt, and Pepper looked stunned.

'Um, hi Peps.'

Pepper threw her arms around his neck, hitting his bandage by accident. Tony hissed in pain and Pepper pulled back, the guiltiest expression ever on her face.

'Tony, I'm so sorry,' she said.

Tony lifted up a hand and stroked Pepper's cheek. 'You're crying,' he said, sounding confused.

Pepper batted his hand away but Tony caught it and refused to let go.

'I missed you,' he said softly. 'I could hear you, you know.'

Pepper looked shocked, and also slightly worried. 'Really?'

Tony nodded, and Pepper smiled, 'I missed you too.'

Tony grinned. 'Good,' he said, and then: 'my head hurts.'

Pepper laughed. 'I'm not surprised,' she said. 'I'll fetch the nurse.'

'No!' Tony said, catching her hand again as she got up to leave. 'Don't go, stay with me it's not that bad.'

Pepper put her hand on his forehead. 'Are you sure? You're really hot.'

Tony grinned. 'Why thank you so are you.'

Pepper batted him softly and sat down next to him on the bed while Tony studied his chest.

'I have two marks on my chest,' he said slowly.

Pepper squeezed his hand. 'You got zapped with the defibrillator,' she said softly.

Tony nodded like this made sense. 'Oh yeah, I remember now.'

Pepper gaped at him. 'You _remember?_ How can you _possibly _remember? You were in Cardiac Arrest!'

Tony shrugged, or tried to but it hurt too much, 'I can't explain everything, Pepper,' he said. 'Most things, but not everything. But I was there, I saw the doctors.'

Pepper stared at him, and put her hand on his forehead again. 'Tony, you really are hot, I'm getting a nurse.'

'Pepper, wait,' Tony held a hand out to her as she left and then pain exploded in his head. He gasped and passed out.


	11. MRI Scan

His head hurt, a pounding headache behind his right eyebrow, thumping. Tony tossed and moaned, he felt Pepper trying to catch his hand but staying still hurt, he had to keep moving.

'Mr Stark?'

_Nurse Polly! Help me!_

'Please help him; I don't know what's wrong with him!'

'We'll need to do an MRI scan to figure it out properly.'

'Please, money is no problem.'

_Yeah, glad as I am that you two are planning my immediate future and spending my money… my f***ing head hurts!_

Tony felt a small prick under his skin, just inside the crease in his elbow. His head spun, his body stopped tossing and he drifted away.

_Okay, that's better, you two can waste my money now…_

* * *

Pepper waited until Tony was still before taking his hand again, watching Nurse Polly dispose of the needle that had once held the morphine.

'Well?' Pepper asked when Polly sat back down again.

Polly gently lifted up Tony's eyelids and shone a light onto his pupils, before placing an electronic thermometer in his mouth.

'It's… possible… that Mr Stark may have brain damage, but the only way to find out would be to do a MRI scan. With a reaction as bad as that I think it would be wise to keep him under until we can arrange the next course of action.'

Pepper nodded and squeezed Tony's hand. 'He said he saw the doctors, when he was getting defibrillator-ed.'

Nurse Polly paused and appeared to be thinking about something. 'Defibrillator-ed, nice word, I like it. And I'm afraid that I can't explain the supernatural.'

Pepper nearly exploded there and then. 'Supernatural? He's Tony Stark! He doesn't even have a faith!'

'No…' Polly agreed. 'But I remember seeing his mother once, Maria, and she certainly had a faith.'

Pepper looked down at Tony. 'You think he really did see the doctors?'

Polly removed the thermometer from Tony's mouth and tutted before throwing it away. 'Possibly, Tony Stark's mind is the one thing that probably no-one will ever understand, so I would certainly say that it was possible.'

Pepper looked down at him. He'd said that he'd heard her, that he'd seen the doctors… was that even possible?

Nurse Polly looked over at Pepper and sighed.

'Miss Potts, since he'll be kept under, there's no need for you to stay in case in wakes up again. Why don't you go home, get some rest?'

Pepper brushed back Tony's hair and walked out, squeezing his hand one more time. 'I'll be back soon, Tony,' she said. 'I promise.'


	12. I have a PA?

_Chapter 12 has landed! Sorry it took so long, I had history homework that desperately needed doing or my teacher would eat me._

_Please review!!!_

Pepper sat down on Tony's sofa and riffled through some files that she had on her lap. They weren't anything interested, data on the new Arc Reactor, prints that needed to be reviewed. Pepper gulped back some coffee and turned the file over, freezing as she saw the picture.

_Molly Faith._

The woman that had tried to shoot her… shot Tony.

Rhodey had had their conversation turned into a transcript, a copy of which was now printed on the inside of the file.

Pepper read it, getting angrier by the second.

_How could she think that?_

Pepper slammed the file shut and dropped it onto the coffee table, leaning back and finishing her coffee.

Tony had been for his MRI that afternoon and the results weren't good. He'd suffered oxygen deficiency while he'd been defibrillator-ed and the doctors were concerned about the memory part of his mind.

Pepper sighed and stood up, retrieving her jacket and stepping outside into her car, cranking up the stereo as she drove to the hospital.

* * *

_Ow ow ow ow ow ow_

Tony tried not to move, his head still hurt although it wasn't with the same intensity as before. He felt funny, he'd felt funny since they'd brought him back from the MRI.

'Tony, are you awake?'

Tony peeked his eyes open. There was an attractive red-headed woman in front of him, smiling softly.

'Hi,' Tony said. 'Are you one of the nurses?'

The red-head looked like he'd punched her. 'N… no,' she stammered, clearly shocked. 'It's me, it's Pepper.'

Tony scrunched his nose up. 'Pepper? That's a nice name; I don't think I know you though.'

Pepper stared at him, and Tony couldn't help noticing just how said she looked. 'You… don't know me?' she asked, so quietly Tony almost couldn't hear her.

'Fraid not,' Tony said, 'should I?'

Pepper nodded and sat next to him, taking his hand. 'I work with you, Tony,' she said. 'I'm your PA.'

The look on Tony's face was priceless. 'I have a PA?' he asked, staring at her.

Pepper nodded. 'Yes, I've worked with you close on 8 years.'

Tony looked guilty. 'I'm sorry I don't remember you then,' he said. 'The doctors keep saying there's something wrong with my brain.'

Tony heard activity from outside the door, Pepper looked over her shoulder and then back at him, squeezing his hand.

'Prove them wrong,' she said softly, as the door opened and a team of doctors walked in.

'Ah, Mr Stark,' Dr Williams said, an old balding man with a clipboard. 'I'm glad to see you're awake, and that you're here too Miss Potts. Splendid, I need to talk to you both about a couple of things.'

Tony looked up at the doctor. 'Shoot,' he said, with the expression of one that still couldn't believe that he had a PA.

'Great,' the doctor said, clapping his hands together. 'Well, to start off with…'

'No,' Tony interrupted. 'I mean _shoot, _shot, I was shot.'

The doctors looked confused.

'Well… yes, you were, I thought you knew.'

'I was shot,' Tony said slowly, 'and I don't know who this young lady is.'

'Well, that's your PA, Pepper,' the doctor said reassuringly.

'Well yes, I know that _now,_' Tony said, 'but what I _don't _see is how I could forget who she is, I mean _now _I remember everything, I remember how she's always turning my music down and telling me off for not going to important meetings. I remember everything _now. _But what I'm trying to say is I _didn't _remember those things when she walked in, I thought she was a nurse.' Tony paused and grinned guiltily at Pepper. 'Sorry, Peps,' he said, squeezing her hand.

The doctors shuffled their feet. 'That's what we're here to speak to you about, Mr Stark,' Dr Williams said. 'You see, you went into cardiac arrest and before we had the chance to resuscitate you you suffered oxygen deficiency because your heart had stopped pumping the oxygenated blood around your body…'

'Yes, yes, I know what the heart does,' Tony said, sounding annoyed. 'Is this why I couldn't remember Pepper? Because my brain has gone haywire?'

'In so many words, yes,' Williams said.

Tony paused and looked up at Pepper, who looked back at him. 'So,' he said, more to her than anyone else. 'Does this mean I'll always be like this?'

'We don't know,' Williams said. 'I'm afraid there's no way of telling.'

Tony looked back at Williams, and then at Pepper, his eyes clouded over. 'Hi,' he said cheerfully. 'I don't believe we've met, I would tell you my name but I can't remember it!'

Pepper left the room so he couldn't see her tears; she needed to phone Rhodey.


	13. Get Me Home

_Please review!_

'He can't remember anything?' Rhodey said, shocked.

Pepper nodded, 'he forgot his name.'

Rhodey folded his arms and looked into the room where Tony had passed out and was now snoring softly.

'Does he remember now?'

Pepper shrugged. 'I don't know, he only remembered me after I told him who I was, and even then it took a while.'

Rhodey sighed and looked over at his sleeping friend.

'I have to get back to base; I'll be over this evening, promise.'

Hugging Pepper- awkwardly- Rhodey left, heading back to Edward's Air Force Base.

Pepper stayed out of the room, gazing at the posters on the wall opposite. Then she heard the sound of someone muttering.

Pepper stepped back into Tony's room. He was tossing and turning, sweat pouring out of his pours, muttering under his breath: 'Pepper… no, don't… stay… Obadiah, he… I refuse.'

Pepper walked over to him and shook him gently. Tony didn't wake up, it was clear he was becoming even more distressed.

'He… dad didn't… no-one said… push the button, just do it… Pepper look out!'

Pepper stared at him, and shook him harder.

'Tony!'

Tony sat bolt upright, stopping about 3cms from her face. 'Um… hi Pepper.'

'You remember me?' Pepper said hopefully.

Tony nodded, 'how many times have you had to wake me up now?'

Pepper hugged Tony tightly, 'too many times, you should really see a shrink.'

Tony snorted as he hugged her back. 'And what will they think? It's a well known fact that all shrinks are interested in is sex and sexual patterns. That's it Peps! That's all they go on about! I'm not kidding, stop laughing!' He said, tickling her in the ribs.

Pepper batted his hand away, but then caught it again and held it tightly. 'That isn't true Tony.'

Tony raised an eyebrow at her. 'Ask a shrink then, go on, I dare you. Ask them anything and I'll guarantee they can link it back to sex.'

'You have a dirty mind, Tony Stark,' Pepper said laughing.

Tony stared at her in amusement. 'You've just noticed? And you've been my assistant for… what? 8 years almost? Do keep up, Pepper.'

Pepper sat on the edge of the bed. 'How do you feel?'

Tony leaned forward and took her other hand, looking straight into her eyes.

'I want to go home,' he said. 'Get me out of here, please, Pepper.'

Pepper stared mournfully at him. 'I can't Tony, you need treatment.'

'Treatment!' Tony sighed. 'All the doctors are convinced I'm losing my mind, they've clearly managed to convince you. Please Pepper, get me out of here.'

Pepper pulled her hands away. 'And what will you do when you get home?'

Tony stared at her, shocked. 'You think I'll be immediately out in the suit don't you!'

Pepper nodded. 'I know you, Tony.'

Tony smiled and shook his head. 'Clearly not as well as you think. I may be reckless occasionally, but I'm not stupid, Pepper. I'm hardly going to go flying around in the state my head is in now. Get JARVIS to deny me access to the suit if it makes you feel better, even to the whole workshop! I'll be happy with lounging on the sofa and watching films all day. Just please, Pepper, get me home, you know how much I hate hospitals.'

Pepper sighed. 'I'll try, Tony, but I can't promise anything, you have to understand that now. And I _will _lock down your workshop, you need to rest. And a doctor will probably come down everyday to check your head is still in shape.'

Tony nodded.

'I accept those terms, Pep,' he said. 'Now please, get me home.'


	14. Transformers Heals All

_Next chapter! Please review!!! And in response to newworldwriter1, I may be evil, I may not be… you'll just have to wait and see… :)_

'Hey, how're you feeling?' Pepper said, pausing in the doorway of Tony Stark's living room, looking in at her boss who was laid back on the sofa watching transformers.

'Cool thanks, Pep,' Tony said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

'There's pizza in the fridge if you get hungry,' Pepper said softly.

'Thanks Pepper,' Tony responded, still looking at the screen.

Pepper opened her mouth to say something else, then paused and turned away.

'Hey… Pepper,' Tony said, sitting up and looking over at her, wincing and putting his hand on his chest.

'Yes, Tony?' Pepper asked.

Tony patted the seat next to him. 'Come join me?'

Pepper considered this for all of 3 seconds. Go home and do work? Or sit next to her hotter than hell boss and watch a film directed at young boys?

Work… or hot boss?

They were connected… sort of.

Pepper chucked her coat down and sat next to Tony, who immediately took her hand and pulled her closer.

Pepper didn't complain, although he looked okay, she knew that his nightmares were worse than ever, he was paler than ever and there were dark black bags under his handsome brown eyes. She was also just beginning to realise something else.

He was lonely, and he didn't like being alone.

Pepper raised her eyebrow at the car on the screen, which had suddenly turned into a 12ft robot. And she _had _to know.

'Can you make a car that does that? Turn into a robot I mean.'

Tony considered the question, and then grabbed a notepad and pen from the coffee table in front of him. Notepads were littered around the house in case of sudden flashes of inspiration.

Pepper watched, amazed, as Tony's hand flew across the page, writing out and solving equations before he'd even written them.

Pepper looked at his forehead; it was furrowed, the way it usually was when he was working on something difficult.

_There's nothing wrong with his mind, nothing at all. I hope._

'Yes.' Tony said, snapping her out of her reverie and making her jump.

'Yes?' Pepper asked, confused.

'To your question,' Tony said, waving the notepad at her, which was now covered in numbers and letters. 'I can make a car that turns into a 12ft robot.'

Pepper stared for a moment, and then nodded, like this is what she expected. 'Thought so,' she said.

Tony chuckled, 'and the doctors think there's something wrong with me.'

Pepper smiled, 'I was thinking the same thing.

'Well there you go then,' Tony said, beaming. 'Great minds _do _think alike.'

Pepper laughed, 'or fools seldom differ.'

Tony battered her with the notebook gently, 'don't rain on my parade here, Potts.'

Pepper grinned, he hadn't changed, he was still exactly the same.

'_Sir, Colonel Rhodes is at the door,' _JARVIS said suddenly.

'Let him in,' Tony said, taking a sip of water from the glass in front of him.

Rhodey wandered in, carrying boxes of Chinese takeaway. 'Hey,' he said. 'I thought you might be here, Pepper, so I got enough for 3.'

Pepper jumped up and cleaned the table in front of them, then noticed that Tony was looking at Rhodey funny, _really _funny.

Tony turned to Pepper and opened his mouth but before he could speak Pepper had put a finger on his lips and was gazing at him with pleading eyes. Tony shut his mouth and swallowed.

'Hey… Rhodes,' he said, trying to produce a close-to-genuine smile.

'Hey Tony mate,' Rhodey said. 'How're you feeling?'

'Better, yeah, better,' Tony said, attacking the food.

Rhodey looked at Pepper sadly. Pepper shook her head.

Sighing, Rhodey turned his attention back to Tony, who was leaning back on the sofa, arms up behind his head.

'You two can stop your conspiracy now, my brain has landed,' Tony looked apologetically at Rhodey. 'Sorry Rhodey,' he said.

Rhodey grinned and clapped Tony on the shoulder. 'Not a problem mate, Transformers huh? Man I love this movie.'

Tony looked over at Pepper, who was bent down over her food, her long hair hiding her face.

'Pepper,' Tony whispered when Rhodey wasn't paying attention. 'I'm back.'

Pepper nodded, but didn't look up.


	15. How Hard Is It To Float Away?

_This is only a quick chapter, but I'll update soon because I already have an idea for the next one!_

_Please review!!!_

_And since I've had a couple of requests for them to kiss 'accidentally', I'll consider it :)_

Rhodey observed his two friends. Pepper was folding cartons into a neat pile and Tony, already exhausted from staying awake and focusing for so long, had passed out, and was now curled in a ball on the sofa.

'Do you think he'll get better?' Rhodey asked, nodding at Tony.

Pepper looked over at him; he stretched and reached out an arm in his sleep.

'I don't know,' Pepper said. 'This is Tony Stark's mind we're dealing with, who knows?'

Rhodey scrutinised him, then sighed and stood up. 'I should be going,' he said. 'See you Pepper.'

'Buy Rhodey,' Pepper said, eyes on Tony.

Once Rhodey had gone, Pepper gathered up the cartons and took them into the kitchen, when she returned, JARVIS had dimmed the lights.

Pepper dropped a blanket over Tony and pulled her coat on.

'JARVIS? If anything happens to Tony…'

'_I will of course inform you immediately.'_

'Thank you JARVIS.'

Pepper put her hand on Tony's forehead and, satisfied with the temperature, turned to leave.

But there was something about Tony that was preventing her from doing so.

She'd _missed _him. Not only when he'd been gone for those 3 dreadful months, but when he'd been lying on a hospital bed with his mind unravelling and drifting away. If she'd _known _that his mind was warping and reconfiguring itself, she would have tried harder to keep him with her, her Tony Stark. But there's no way she could have known, and probably nothing she could have done either.

_He didn't remember Rhodey…_

_Rhodey, _of all people, the man he'd grown up with.

He hadn't remembered her.

Pepper dropped a light kiss onto Tony's forehead and, grabbing her bag, turned and walked out the door.

_How hard is it to float away? I managed it easily. But for someone else… I wonder how it could be done. Maybe a near death experience isn't the only way to achieve it, drugs, probably, that could contribute._

_Why am I thinking this? I have my life back? Don't I? _

_What's a life when you can't remember your own friends? _

_Is it really worth living?_

_Yes, because if I live for anyone, then it's for Pepper._

_Even if she doesn't want me, I love her._

_I love her._

_Damn it! I should really let her know!_

_What the hell am I doing? I shouldn't lie here!_

_Actually, I should, I'm not so good on my feet at the moment._

_Pepper…_


	16. Why PA's Are Handy To Have On SpeedDial

_You wanted them to kiss 'accidentally'? Well here you are. _

_Please review!_

That night, he had his worse dream ever._ Nightmare _didn't even begin to cover it.

He was on the roof with Obadiah in the Iron Monger armour. Obadiah had his hand around Pepper's neck, and she was struggling and kicking, her face going purple as she struggled to breathe.

'She knows too much, Tony,' Obadiah said. 'She can't live.'

In his dream, Tony tried to walk towards Pepper, he reached out an arm towards her, but his legs were like jelly, he wasn't moving.

With his free arm, Obadiah fired a bullet from his armour into Tony's chest.

Pain erupted and Tony was driven to his knees, gasping for air.

'_Sir, you are dreaming, wake up.'_

Then the scene changed, and instead of the roof at Stark Industries, he was stood on the edge of Point Dume. Obadiah was holding Pepper out over the churning waters of the Pacific Ocean below him.

Tony couldn't move, the pain in his chest was everything, he couldn't concentrate.

'_Sir, wake up.'_

'Pepper…'

Pepper kicked and struggled, her strawberry-blond hair being tangled and blown about in the wind. It was night, and the sky was the darkest black Tony ever remembered.

'_Sir, you are sleepwalking, I am going to call Miss Potts.'_

Obadiah held Pepper out further over the ocean, Pepper's legs kicked in the air as she tried to get free.

'We're Iron Mongers, Tony. Just because you have an idea, do you think it belongs to you?'

Tony couldn't open his mouth, couldn't say anything, he was frozen by pain.

Obadiah opened his mouth and laughed, and it was that same laugh that usually woke Tony up in a cold sweat, but not this time.

'Let her go!' Tony choked out.

Obadiah laughed again, and let go of Pepper, she fell down and down into the cold churning waters.

Tony leapt after her.

'_Sir!' _

Tony fell beneath the black waves, but he couldn't see Pepper, he thrashed about and the pain in his chest intensified, he saw black spots at the corner of his eyes.

'Pepper!'

'_Tony! Tony!'_

His mind was frozen with pain, his body numb with cold. He couldn't move, he sunk further down beneath the waves. Pepper was nowhere to be seen.

The black spots at the corner of his eyes intensified and Tony ran out of oxygen. He breathed in and cold water gushed into his lungs, burning his throat.

Desperate for oxygen Tony kicked up, but he didn't know where was going, his wound complained.

Tony breathed in another gush of water and his mind calmed.

_He was drowning._ But that was okay.

_Pepper. _His mind went black.

* * *

'Tony! Tony!'

Pepper Potts kicked off her shoes and dived into the swimming pool, kicking around to find where Tony was. Her eyes caught the blue of the Arc Reactor and she swam towards it. Finding his arm she grabbed it and tried to drag him to the surface.

But he was heavy… too heavy for her to lift.

Pepper kicked back up to the surface and took a deep breath of the calm night air.

She _had _to get Tony.

Pepper dived back down, grabbing Tony's shirt and pulling him up. The water around her was getting red.

Blood, he was bleeding.

Pepper pulled. Tony's head broke the surface, his eyes were closed, his skin grey, his lips blue.

Pepper grabbed hold of Tony's arm and pulled herself out of the pool, using every ounce of strength she owned to pull Tony up after her.

He lay on the side of the pool, not breathing, the fabric around his wound stained red.

Pepper crawled over to him and bent her ear over his lips. Feeling no reassuring breath of warm air on her ear, she tipped his head back so his mouth fell open. Covering his mouth with hers she blew, once, twice. She put her hands over his heart and started to push.

_One, two, three, four, five…_

* * *

_Tony was home. _

_This shocked him beyond belief. Only a moment ago he'd been drowning in the cold waves of the Pacific and now he was home._

'_Pepper?' he called into the empty house. It was his parent's house, the house he'd grown up in. _

'_She's coming, Anthony,' came a voice from the stairs. _

_Tony swivelled towards the sound. A woman was stood on the bottom stair, her long brown hair coiling around her face._

'_Mom?' Tony blurted._

'_Anthony! Tony! My son!' Maria Stark held her arms out and suddenly Tony was 17 again. He ran into his mother's arms crying, 'Mom! Mom!'_

'_Tony!'_

_Tony turned again; his father was behind him, hugging him too. 'Tony, Tony, my boy, my boy.'_

_Tony hugged his father and his mother._

'_What… what happened? Am I dead?_

_Maria stroked his cheek. 'No, my son, you're not, it's not your time, not yet.'_

'_But… but… I don't understand… I was… drowning.'_

'_You were having a nightmare, you started sleepwalking, Tony,' Howard said. _

_Tony stared at his father. 'Sleepwalking? I don't sleepwalk!'_

'_Well you were, you jumped into the swimming pool.'_

_Tony ran his hand over his chest. 'The Arc, the bullet wound, where are they?'_

'_While you're with us, you're the same as you used to be, Tony,' Maria said, kissing his cheek._

'_You said… you said Pepper was coming.'_

_Howard put his head on one side, 'she is, can't you hear her?'_

_Tony strained his ears to listen._

'Tony! Tony! Come on Tony breathe, please Tony please breathe!'

_Tony felt a pressure on his chest, just above his heart, and a burning sensation in his throat._

'_But… Pepper…'_

'_She's trying to save you my boy,' Maria said. 'She's pushing the water from your lungs.'_

_Tony turned, and suddenly he was a man again, the Arc Reactor glowing brightly on his skin, the bullet wound back as a reminder. He was soaking wet, water pooling on the floor around him._

'_Goodbye Tony, goodbye my son, I love you, I'm so proud of you.'_

_Tony spun round, his mother was fading._

'_No! Mom!'_

'_Goodbye Tony my boy, I'll always be proud of you.'_

'_Dad! Dad!'_

_Howard Stark smiled and ruffled his son's hair, then faded, leaving Tony alone in darkness._

'_No! No!' Tony called into the blackness. 'Come back, mom, dad!'_

_Tony spun round, panicking. _

_Then he saw her._

_She was stood in the darkness, arms reaching out to him, hair floating around her face._

'_Pepper!' Tony called, 'help me!'_

_Pepper strained her arms towards him. 'Come home, Tony.'_

_Tony ran to her, and the second he touched her he felt warm lips on his cold ones, warmth over his heart, cold water gushing through his mouth._

* * *

Tony opened his eyes. He was lying on his back beside his swimming pool, gazing up at the stars.

He saw Pepper's face blur above his, tears pouring down her face.

'Tony, Tony!'

'Pepper…'

Pepper pressed her lips to his, and Tony's mind floated away.


	17. Snapping Back Into Place

_Happy Monday!_

_Please review! :)_

He didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't know what was happening to him, his mind had caved in on itself, he couldn't remember anything, or anyone.

He felt something warm and soft rubbing up and down his shoulders; he could hear a voice from far away calling a word, a word that sounded familiar but that he couldn't place.

'Tony.'

His arms felt like lead, his chest ached and his throat burned. He heard that voice again, like milk and honey.

'Tony, are you alright? You're safe now.'

He felt pressure on his hand, warm and soft. He opened his eyes; he could see a face above his own, two faces.

'Stand back, Pepper, he's okay, give him some space.'

He squinted at the two faces; one was a black man, the other a white woman. The black man had brown eyes and dark hair, and looked very familiar. The white woman had red hair and blue eyes, she also looked familiar.

'Tony?'

He tried to sit up, but he couldn't, his chest burned and the man put his hands on his shoulders.

'Oh-no, Tony, you aren't moving anywhere, stay still the ambulance will be here soon.'

_Ambulance. _He knew that word, and he didn't like it.

He tried to look around. He was lying on the poolside still, wrapped in a blanket.

'Don't move, Tony, don't move,' the red-head said.

His mind shifted.

_It's funny the way the mind works. You get hurt and your brain goes into shutdown, when you're injured anything can happen, comas, for example. So… I've been in a coma, only remembering people when I feel like it… then I sleepwalked into my swimming pool which is quite possibly the most embarrassing thing I've ever done and I _really _hope that Pepper and Rhodey keep it under their hats… then I drown, then I see my parents which is just plain odd, then Pepper saves me._

_So where does that leave me now? Because I feel like the same old post-Afghanistan Tony Stark. _

_2 shocks. Coma, drowning. Each time, saved by Pepper. 2__nd__ shock seems to have shocked my mind back into order._

_What does that mean?_

_You know, sometimes I wonder why I get called a genius._

_It's because Pepper kissed me, after she saved my sorry ass, and that means Pepper loves me, and more importantly, that I love her, because she's been the one I've responded too throughout this whole nightmare._

_So… I should tell her._

_I really should._

_Really._

_God! I can fly around in a gold-titanium suit being shot at and that's fine, but I can't tell the woman that I love _that _I love her!_

_I owe it to Pepper, I owe it to myself._

_So… when I wake up from whatever I'm in this time, I'll tell her. First thing I do when I see her._

_If I remember._

_So… I'll just… wake up then._

Tony's eyes flickered, and he woke up.

Pepper was curled up on his left side, fast asleep, Rhodey was asleep in the chair next to him.

Tony turned his head; he was in his room in his bed and judging by the light coming in through the window it was midday.

Tony lifted his arm and gently stroked Pepper's hair. She shifted and snuggled into him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

'Pepper… Pepper…' Tony whispered. He didn't hurt any more, he felt fine, no… more than fine, like he was floating on the ceiling.

Pepper shifted and opened her eyes, gazing at him blankly before she realised that his eyes were open and he was looking at her.

'Tony?' she said, sitting up.

'Sshh,' Tony said, nodding to Rhodey in the chair.

'Do you feel okay?' Pepper asked.

Tony took Pepper's chin in his hand and placed a feather light kiss on her mouth.

'I love you.'

Pepper stared at him, and then leaned into him, wrapping her fingers into his hair as she kissed him again, feeling his goatee scratch her skin.

Tony pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist.

'Ahem,' came a voice behind them.

'Uh-uh, Rhodey I'm busy here,' Tony mumbled against Pepper's lips.

Pepper went bright red and pushed him away, hiding her face in her hair.

Tony gave Rhodey a cheerful wave and his trademarked Playboy grin. Rhodey responded by rolling his eyes. 'It's 'bout time,' he muttered.


	18. Blackouts

_Chapter 18, Christmas soon!!!_

_Please review!!_

Tony Stark brushed down his suit, straightened his tie, and stepped into the sea of reporters already gathered in the entrance hall of the press conference area of Stark Industries.

Tony grinned and waved as he made his way up to the podium.

Pepper had greatly discouraged this; he had moments where he'd randomly black out for 5 minutes, scaring Pepper so much she generally dropped whatever it was she was holding at that time, usually either her phone or a coffee mug.

Tony took a deep breath to clear his head as he stood on the podium.

'Hi,' he said.

Already the reporters went berserk, shouting and waving their microphones.

Tony waved at Pepper who was stood at the back.

Pepper mouthed something at him, he didn't catch it all but he did catch 'professional' there somewhere.

'Well… I'm not dead,' Tony said, leaning on the podium. 'Still here, it depends on your view of me to decide whether or not that's a good or bad thing.'

Christine Everhart stood up in the front row and Tony saw Pepper clench her hands into fists.

'Do you have anything to say about Molly Faith?' she asked, voice cutting.

Tony leaned back and consulted his brain, he vaguely remembered Rhodey mentioning a Molly Faith.

'That would be the young lady who shot me?'

Christine nodded, 'it has conspired that you two had "other" relations.'

Tony grinned, he couldn't help it, and many of the reporters started laughing. 'I'm positive that everyone here is aware of my reputation,' Tony said. 'Miss Faith just happened to take it to the next level.'

'Why did she shoot you?' A reporter from the LA times asked.

Tony opened his mouth and shut it again, glancing over at Rhodey, who pointed at Pepper. Pepper glared at Rhodey and then at Tony.

'She wasn't aiming for me,' Tony said slowly. 'She was aiming for Pepper, I just happened to get in the way.'

Immediately the reporters turned to Pepper, who'd already run to hide behind a pillar.

Tony stifled a laugh as the reporters turned back round looking disgruntled.

'Is it true you were in a coma for 3 weeks?' another reporter asked.

'Yes.'

'Were you aware of anything at that time?'

'Yes.'

'Would you care to expand on that?'

Tony considered this question while the world held its breath.

'I could… hear things, voices, the doctor's and nurse's voices mainly.'

'Could you feel anything?'

'The nurse had to get a reaction out of me, which involved pushing her pen into the pressure point on my forehead. _That _got a reaction; I think they replaced the lamp.'

The reporters laughed and Tony spotted Pepper glaring at him from behind her pillar.

His head swum and he gripped the edge of the stand, blinking 3 times at Rhodey, the signal that he couldn't stay conscious for very long.

Rhodey stood up and moved to the front of the podium to stand by Tony, smacking him playfully on the arm.

'Can't get rid of you can we mate?' he said, grinning.

Rhodey gripped Tony's arm as they walked off the podium, so Tony wouldn't fall over and the reporters couldn't see that he was having trouble staying upright.

Tony spotted Pepper dart out from behind her pillar and mouth 'office' at Rhodey.

The reporters carried on yelling out questions but Rhodey pushed them aside while at the same time nudging Tony to make sure he didn't collapse there and then.

They made it into the lift at the back of the room, Pepper jumping in just in time and once the doors were closed Tony fell back against the back of the lift.

'Whoops,' he mumbled.

'I told you to take it easy,' Rhodey said.

'Uh-huh…' Tony slipped further down the back of the lift and passed out. Rhodey caught him just before he banged his head on the floor and lifted him over his shoulder.

Pepper sighed, 'he brings it upon himself,' she said.

'Better sooner than later,' Rhodey said. 'Especially if this gets any worse.'

'The doctors don't seem to think it will,' Pepper said, checking that he was still breathing.

'Are you kidding?' Rhodey said. 'What do they know? He passed out yesterday and that was for _10 minutes! _I honestly don't think the doctors have the first idea what's wrong with him.'

'_Executive floor, office of CEO Tony Stark,' _the lift informed them as the doors slid open.

Pepper checked that the coast was clear and stood back so Rhodey could carry Tony into his office, laying him down on the couch while she turned the coffee machine on.

Pepper pushed back Tony's tie and shirt so she could get a good look at the bullet scar on the right side of his chest. It was a thin red line that had only recently decided to scar over. It had missed his lung by a millimetre, the doctor had said.

_He jumped in front of me._

Rhodey glanced outside the door where the reporters were heading menacingly towards them.

'I'll be right back,' Rhodey said, stepping outside the door.

Pepper looked down at Tony, who'd started moving.

She leaned down and gently kissed him, 'you're an idiot,' she said softly.

'I know,' Tony mumbled, sitting up and taking Pepper's offered coffee.

Pepper sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist while he drank it. Tony noticed that his shirt was unbuttoned.

'You staring at my chest again?'


	19. Doctor's Results

_I am so so so so sorry that this to so long to write! And I know that I've been asked to concentrate my attention on 'Busy Day At The Office,' but this was nearly done and I really owe everyone an update!!_

_This chapter is dedicated to XxThe Best Damn ThingxX, because I've just realised that she's reviewed every Iron Man story I've ever written!!_

_Anyway… please review this one!_

The doctor swung his stethoscope back over his neck. 'Well, Mr Stark, I am glad to report that, despite the odds, you have made a full recovery. You are fit to return to work.'

Tony grinned. 'Nice,' he said, rubbing his hands together and swinging off the cot, grabbing his shirt and pulling it back over his head.

The doctor's attention had been drawn to the window and Tony followed his gaze. His shiny silver Audi R8 had drawn the attention of the other patients and there was a small crowd gathering, admiring the number plate and the sleek V8 engine in the back.

'I better go before they break into it,' Tony said, grinning at the doctor and steeping outside into the waiting room. Pepper was reading heat and held up the page she'd been reading when she spotted Tony walking in. It consisted of a photo of Tony in the middle and around that photo were passport photos of 12 other women.

'Guess who these people are,' Pepper said, waving a hand at the images and giving Tony a look.

Tony stopped and pulled a face. Pepper stood up and grabbed her bag.

'Well?' she asked.

'Well… I don't actually remember any of them, apart from that moo Everhart.'

Pepper batted him with the magazine before depositing it back onto the table.

'I was referring to what the doctor said.'

Tony grinned and took her hand, pulling her towards the door. 'I'm all fit to go, complete recovery he said.'

Pepper wasn't convinced. 'What did he say about the blackout thing?'

Tony pulled another face as he stepped outside into the parking lot. 'He doesn't know what to make of it, he says that it should go away but MRI scans didn't achieve anything, only that against popular opinion, my brain _is _still there.'

'Wow,' Pepper said, faking a surprised face. 'That is impressive.'

Tony flashed a playboy grin as they approached the small crowd that had gathered around the Audi and let go of Pepper's hand so he could rummage in his pocket for his car keys.

Once he'd got them out and pressed the remote to unlock the R8, the crowd dispersed rather quickly as the Audi's lights flashed.

Pepper stifled a laugh as she got in the driving seat, prompting another silly face from Tony.

'You know the rules, Tony,' she told him sternly. 'If you pass out at the wheel then at the speeds you insist on going on I doubt we'll make it alive.'

Tony sighed and got in the passenger seat. 'Although…' he said. 'The person in the passenger is the one who's most likely to be mortally injured, laws of physics and all that.'

Pepper rolled her eyes, 'like you pay attention to that, yeah.'

Tony shrugged. 'First time for everything.'


	20. I'll Get The Beers In!

_Okay, I haven't updated this for 6 billion years which I am very VERY sorry about (looks remorseful) but I'm dropping History so I'll have more frees, my exams are over and I'll be able to get a laptop next month so there'll be LOADS more updates on all my stories :)_

_This is dedicated to everyone that pestered me for an update, WELL SOMEONE HAD TO!_

_Please review!_

Rhodey took his Target bag from the shop assistant and stepped outside, where the first thing he spotted was a newspaper abandoned in a bin with Tony's face on the front page and the caption: 'WILLING TO GIVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS PA, IS THERE MORE TO THIS RELATIONSHIP?' Rhodey groaned and pulled the paper out of the bin shoving it into the Target bag and making his way to the car.

Tony was tuning the piano when he walked in and muttering to JARVIS about how annoying the top E key was.

'Hey buddy,' he said, looking up when Rhodey dumped the bag onto the sofa.

'Hey,' Rhodey replied, moving into the kitchen to turn the coffee machine on. 'Pepper here?'

'Nah, she's gone to the office.' Tony finished tuning E and moved onto F. 'JARVIS, I think we're going to have the same problem with this one.'

'_The piano seems to have a hidden agenda sir, perhaps because it is aware of what happened to the other one?'_

Tony chuckled. 'I think there's a cult of some kind full of pianos out to get me.'

'_That does seem possible.'_

'I found this,' Rhodey said, coming back into the living room and pulling the newspaper out of the Target bag, handing it to Tony.

'Why does it smell of chewing gum?'

'I found it in the bin,' Rhodey said and then regretted it immediately.

'You had to get a paper from the _bin? _Man, clearly you don't get paid enough do you?'

'Shut up and read the article.'

Tony's eyes skimmed over the text in under 10 seconds and then he threw the paper onto the sofa. 'So what? They're right aren't they?'

'Tony, you need to take this seriously. You and Pepper have been dancing over each other for years, what happened recently is proof that there's more to you two then what most people see.'

Tony stared at him blankly. 'You've totally lost me.'

Rhodey sighed. 'Okay, relationships for idiots it is then. Listen, you and Pepper are an item. I know that, but _just _I know that. The press is still as clueless as they've always been, they were always talking about you and Pepper as an item whether you were or not. Tony, put that tuning fork down and _listen! _The point IS, this whole incident just _shows _that's there's more to you two! Not many CEO's would dive in front of a bullet to save their PA's.'

Tony's eyes glazed over and Rhodey facepalm-ed. 'Jeez why do I bother.'

'I'm trying…' Tony said, his face screwed up.

'Why do you have a face of a demented monkey?' Pepper asked, choosing that moment to come in.

'Pepper!'

Tony raced towards her and gave her a huge hug earning an 'EEEEK!' from his poor PA who wacked him with her handbag. Tony let go and gave her a reproached look, Pepper smiled and kissed him softly, pushing him away when he tried to back her up against the wall.

'You got a new piano!' she said delightedly.

Tony dived in front of it and flung his arms out. 'SURPRISE!'

Pepper laughed and Rhodey chuckled. 'I feel like a movie night,' Pepper announced. 'You staying, Rhodey?'

'Sure, I'll get the beers in.'

'Good man!' Tony said, grinning and putting the lid down on the piano.

'Oh, and I forgot to ask, how'd the doctors go?' Rhodey asked, collapsing on the sofa.

Tony shrugged and Pepper moved into the kitchen to get a coffee. 'He said I'm physically fit aside from the… blackout thing.'

Rhodey nodded slowly. 'No idea?'

'Not a clue.'

Rhodey chewed his bottom lip and Tony sat down next to him, smiling when Pepper came back, put her coffee on the coffee table and curled up next to him. 'Sooo…' he pondered, drumming his fingers on Pepper's thigh. 'What to watch?'

'That new Steve Carell movie looks quite good,' Pepper said, leaning back into Tony's lap.

Tony pondered this. 'Date night?'

'Get Smart.'

'Ah-ha! JARVIS, if you would be so kind.' The lights dimmed and the window opposite started the movie while Rhodey rummaged around in his Target bag and pulled a beer out, chucking it to Tony.

'Remind me to get the soundtrack,' Tony whispered into Pepper's ear, dropping a light kiss on her hair.

'Will do,' she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his waist, already half asleep.

When the movie ended, all three occupants of the house were asleep. Pepper half-lying half-sitting on Tony, Tony half-lying half-sitting on Pepper, and Rhodey drooling into the upholstery.

'_Good morning, the time is 7:00 am, the weather in Malibu is hot with scattered clouds, surfing conditions are exemplary…'_

'Mute,' Tony mumbled, cuddling into Pepper who'd started to stir.

'What did he say the time was?'

'_7 o'clock am, Miss Potts.'_

Pepper sat up, earning a groan from Tony who was forced to sit up with her. 'You have meeting at 9, she said, kissing his cheek. 'I told the board of directors you'd be there; I'll get the coffee machine started.'

'Meh? Who turned the lights on?' Rhodey mumbled next to Tony.

'JARVIS,' Tony mumbled back, curling into a ball.

Pepper sighed when she discovered they'd fallen asleep again and turned the stereo on very loudly.

'_WOULD I LIE TO YOU? WOULD I LIE TO YOU. I WOULD DO ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT ME TO, BUT WOULD I LIE TO YOU?'_

'That wasn't fair,' Tony said, sitting up and yelling at JARVIS to turn it down.

'Life isn't fair, get over it,' Pepper said, smiling as she handed him his coffee. 'You need to get up too Rhodes.'

'Don't want to,' Rhodey mumbled, and then grinned when Pepper waved another cup of coffee in his face.

'I feel like going surfing,' Tony announced brightly.

'Not before your meeting you're not,' Pepper said. 'Now go on, get ready and after the meeting you can go and swim with the sharks.'

'"There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come"', Rhodey quoted eerily.

'Sharks? In my water? Bring it!' Tony said, laughing as he went upstairs.

Pepper shoed Rhodey out the door and grabbed her bag as Tony came back downstairs, dressed immaculately as usual and smelling of after shave. 'Shall we? Miss Potts?' Tony asked, holding out his arm.

Pepper grinned.

The meeting was actually interesting which surprised Tony greatly. He had to stand up and give a presentation on a new idea he had for cleaner and cheaper technology that actually got a good response. It was on the way down the stairs and into the foyer that he first started to feel groggy.

'Pep… Pepper…' he mumbled, tripping over his feet and collapsing on the floor.

_What d'you think? Please review and let me know and I'll update! By the way, the song is 'Would I lie to you?' by Whitesnake, it's AWESOME, but I wouldn't like to wake up to it :) And the 'I'll get the beers in' line is something everyone in my family goes on about, you can find it on youtube but I can't remember the name of the sketch show o.O_


	21. A Problem

_NO MORE HISTORY! WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!_

_Anyways, here is your update, it's only short but I'll try to update soon :) Please review!_

Tony woke up in a hospital bed with a steady _beep beep beep _near one ear. 'Well this is familiar,' he remarked to the nurse that was leaning over him and checking his pulse. The nurse smirked. 'Even more familiar will be when I inform Miss Potts that you're awake and she can come and yell at you for a bit, that always amuses the other patients.'

Tony feigned a shocked face. 'You wouldn't.'

'Oh I would.'

'But it's not _my _fault!' Tony protested. 'I didn't WANT to pass out! Whoa…' he scrunched his nose up. 'When?'

'An hour ago.'

'Where?'

'The foyer of Stark Industries.'

'And who saw…'

'Pretty much everyone in the building.'

'Bollocks.'

'That is an accurate assessment,' the nurse said, straightening up and hanging Tony's chart at the end of his bed.

'Wait a sec… an hour?'

The nurse paused and fingered the hem of her uniform. 'Yes, the doctor will need to speak to you about that.'

Tony leaned forward eagerly; or rather he tried to but was prevented by the wires that snapped across his chest. 'You mean you know what's causing it?'

The nurse nodded and turned towards the door. 'You will need to speak to the doctor,' she said. 'I will fetch Miss Potts first.'

Tony leaned back in bed and wondering what the doctor was going to say, something foreboding probably.

'Tony!' Tony looked up as Pepper came running in and hugged him. 'You have no idea how worried I was about you, I thought you weren't going to wake up.' Tony hugged her firmly and made her sit down next to him.

'Pepper,' he said softly. 'What's going on.'

Pepper blinked at him and dropped her head down so it was harder for him to see her eyes filling with tears but he lifted it back up again and looked at her sternly. 'Tell me,' he said.

'Ah, Mr Stark,' a voice from the doorway said and Tony looked up as one of the doctors walked in, stethoscope round his neck. 'You gave us quite a shock,' he said. 'We weren't sure if you were going to wake up.'

'WHAT is going ON!' Tony said, feeling like he was about to explode. Pepper took his hand and looked at the doctor.

'We have discovered the cause of the blackouts, it's a tumour.'

'Tu…' Tony knew about those, his uncle had died of one.

'We will need to operate immediately,' the doctor said. 'The tumour is what's causing the blackouts, it is however SEPARATE from your previous injury,' he waved a hand at Tony's chest. 'We know that your uncle had a brain tumour and it appears that purely through dumb luck you also have one. You should be warned now that if you pass out again, there is an 80% chance that you will not wake up, hence why we need to operate now.'

Stunned, Tony looked at Pepper, who nodded sadly. 'You need the operation, Tony. You will die without it.'

Tony nodded slowly and turned to the doctor who took the hint. 'I will begin the prep the OR then,' he said, turning and leaving Tony staring at Pepper, who hugged him tightly. 'The odds aren't good,' he said softly. 'If it's the same one my uncle had I know the odds aren't good.'

Pepper kissed him, hard. 'Don't say that,' she whispered. 'You'll be fine, you have to be, you're _invincible.'_


	22. Jitters

_Okay, quick but short update. Thanks to everyone who reviewed :) This chapter made me feel a bit tearful 'cause I'm sentimental like that but this is Pepperony remember! Happy ending :)_

_Please review!_

Pepper sat and held Tony's hand while the doctors covered him in wires and cables and hooked him up to a heart monitor.

'Does this mean my hair is going to get shaved off?' Tony asked, looking up at her shocked.

Pepper wasn't sure what to say, so she settled with, 'we both know that your hair grows back incredibly quickly, at least you can still keep the beard.'

'It's a goatee,' Tony said, tightening his grip on her hand. 'Obadiah had a beard, I have a goatee, goatees are sexier.'

The doctor came in with a small pill on his hand. 'If we'd known what was causing your blackouts you would have had these sooner, they're called steroids, they're to help prevent fits. I need you to swallow one, please.'

Tony pulled a face but dry swallowed the pill. 'We will also need to give you an EEG before you go in.'

'What's an EEG?'

'It's a test to check your brain waves using pads attached to your head, it is completely painless, you will not feel a thing.'

'Will I need to have my head shaved?'

'Only a tiny area,' the doctor moved his thumb and forefinger millimetres apart. 'It reduces the risk of infection and the area will be so small it's unlikely that anyone will see it.'

'Well that's a relief,' Tony said, smiling. The doctor laughed. 'That is the primary concern with many of our patients. The nurse will come in now to show Miss Potts some exercises that you will need to learn so you can complete them after your surgery to check brain response. I think you should also know, that your statistics for survival are incredibly promising, it looks a lot like you will make a full recovery.'

'It _looks? Promising?' _Tony stared at the doctor. 'That doesn't sound very promising.'

'But it is, medical mumbo jumble would most likely bore you to death.'

'Give it to me as a percentage, I'm good at math.'

'Very well,' the doctor considered for a moment. 'The percentage of recovery is 92% in favour.'

'What about the other 8%?'

'The other 8% covers infection, adverse reaction to the painkiller, all of that. It is a percentage we take away from all statistics and you do not need to concern yourself with it.'

Tony shivered as the doctor left the room and looked back up at Pepper. 'I'm scared, Peps,' he whispered. Pepper hugged him. 'Don't be. You'll be fine. The doctor wouldn't do the surgery unless there was a good chance that you'd recover. Remember, we found out about this faster than your uncle did. You're going to recover, Tony, and I'm not going to leave you.'

Tony hugged her tightly, feeling her heart beating fast through her thin t-shirt. 'I love you,' he whispered.

'I love you too,' Pepper replied, closing her eyes as a tear ran down her cheek. 'So much.'

'We're ready now,' the nurse said from the doorway. 'Miss Potts, if you will follow me…'

'I want to stay with Tony until he goes in.'

The nurse smiled. 'Of course, as you wish, I will wait for you at the doors then.'

Tony kept hold of Pepper's hand while he was wheeled through the door and into the OR.

_Please review!_


	23. Floating

_Told you I'd update :) Okay, very quick chapter before work, but I have a great idea so I'll get right back on it when I get home. Oh! And my Iron Man 2 ost has arrived from America! :D I've been listening to New Element/Particle Accelerator and Sledgehammer over and over again, they're so good!_

_Please review and I'll update faster!_

_It's like the first time, _Tony thought lazily to himself as he waited next to Pepper outside the OR. Inside, his head was being opened and doctors were going at his brain with scalpels, it was a weird feeling, a funny feeling, and Tony found that he could simply walk out (or float out) of the room and join Pepper outside. He vaguely remembered the first time he'd been here, when he'd been floating in the clouds, dying, and Pepper's voice had called him back. He also vaguely remembered meeting his parents in his old house in New York and having an interesting conversation with them. Tony turned his head to face Pepper, she was reading _'The Luminous Life of Lily Aphrodite', _or at least she had been- she was now gazing at the wall opposite totally lost in space. 'Wakey wakey, Potts!' Tony called loudly, chuckling. Suddenly, Pepper's head snapped round to look right at him. Tony stared at her and she stared at him. Then she blinked and looked back down at her book, muttering about how she must be going mad.

Tony wondered if she could hear him and floated down in front of her face, waving a hand over it but her attention was definitely not focused on him so he floated back into the OR to watch the doctors mutter to themselves. Suddenly, he felt a shock to his chest that travelled to his heart and tugged. _Well that doesn't feel good, _he thought, panicking slightly. He looked over at the heart monitor and saw his heart beat a little faster. 'He's reacting badly to the anaesthetic,' one of the doctors said. 'We should abort.'

'We can't,' another said. 'We passed the point of no return 5 minutes ago we have to continue.'

'This is Tony Stark! Iron Man! We can't do anything that could jeopardise his life other when we'd do it to any other of our patients! We need to abort the operation.'

'We can't, it's too late for that. Stopping isn't an option now it could cause brain damage.'

Tony watched his brain activity and the doctor's face as he examined it. 'Okay,' he said. 'We should be able to fix this. But we need to be as fast as possible. Mr Stark, if you can hear me, hang on in there, got it?'

Tony saluted them while he watched them work faster and mutter to themselves about the consequences of not aborting. He caught the word 'coma' in there somewhere and moaned. _I have _NO _desire to go back into comas; I've spent pretty much this past month in one! This is getting ridiculous!_

Tony left the doctors to their bickering and went back outside to join Pepper, who was asleep, book drifting aimlessly over her thigh. Tony sat next to her and turned his head back towards the OR. _This could be interesting… _he thought. _I wonder how Pepper will take it. _He felt a vague twang in his stomach again and went back inside; feeling the worst, but it was only the doctors removing some of the tubes as they finished the operation.

One of the nurses pulled off her scrubs and stepped outside to join Pepper in the waiting room. 'Miss Potts?' she asked.

Pepper looked up and Tony felt his vision blacken and his body fade as his mind reclaimed itself back inside his body. Blackness pushed up at him and he had a weird sensation of falling backwards. He caught Pepper asking if he was okay, but her voice seemed a million miles away.

* * *

Pepper crossed her legs and stared at the wall, suddenly her book didn't seem so appealing. She sighed and wondered what it must be like for normal PA's who had normal bosses. Somehow she suspected it would be quite boring.

Then she heard Tony's voice next to her.

She swung round and, for a moment, thought she saw deep brown eyes looking at her, then she blinked and they were gone. Pepper dropped her gaze back down to her book. 'You're going insane, Pepper,' she muttered to herself. 'Totally loopy this time.'

After pretending to read a few paragraphs Pepper hear the OR door open. A nurse stepped out and greeted her.

'Is Tony okay?' Pepper asked, standing up and dropping her book onto the seat.

'Mr Stark is fine,' the nurse replied. 'There was a slight… speed bump.'

'Speed bump? Well what do you mean speed bump?'

'Mr Stark reacted badly to the anaesthetic. We don't know what the consequences will be of that, we're hoping he will just wake up but his brain activity is… um… very low.'

Pepper didn't like the sound of that. 'Wait… very low? How low?'

The nurse looked her in the eyes. 'Coma low.'

'Shit,' Pepper whispered, falling back against the wall.

'It isn't a massive problem,' the nurse reassured her. 'It wasn't a violent reaction. What will most likely happen is Mr Stark will be in a comatose state for about 3 or 4 days and then he will wake up feeling completely refreshed.'

'And if he doesn't?'

The nurse looked serious. 'We will cross that bridge when we come to it, Miss Potts. It has been proven that people with high IQ's tend to go for the "cleansing coma" however, and… well we all now how smart Tony Stark is.'

Pepper nodded and smiled.

'We've wheeled him out the back door,' the nurse informed her. 'He'll be back in his room.'

Pepper nodded, grabbed her book and rushed back to Tony's bedside.

Tony was unconsciousness when she arrived, and there was an IV drip in his arm. A large white bandage was tied around his head and the heart machine beeped softly next to him. 'Tony,' Pepper said softly. 'I've just about had enough of you being in and out of comas, so if you don't wake up out of this one I may just release that picture of you with a teddy when you were 3 out to the general public.

Tony twitched in his sleep and Pepper wondered if he could hear her. One of the nurses came in, coffee mug in hand. Pepper took it and assumed her normal position by his side while the nurse performed her customary checks.

_Here we go again._

* * *

_I have some AWESOME ideas for this story, well I think so anyone. So stay tuned. Right, I'm off to work now. Please review!_


	24. The End in the Beginning

…_Um… hi… (waves guiltily). So… 2 years huh? I think it's about time I laid this story to rest. So I present to you, pure and complete utter Pepperony fluff. There will be one more chapter, then this story will be done and dusted :) And I'm considering rewriting it but having the Avengers featuring in it as well. Slightly different story line as well, let me know what you think. And yes, I stole the title from 'Bones', so sue me. Or don't..._

_So… not that I deserve it, but please review! I love you all, and thank you so much to everyone who has been nagging me about finishing this, this chapter is dedicated to all of you. I love you all :)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am anyway infiliated with (unfortunately) Iron Man or Bones. I just take them apart and play with their insides._

_Please review!_

* * *

Tony sighed and rolled over onto his side, accidentally nudging Pepper awake who stared, bleary eyed, at her asleep boyfriend. She smirked to herself. It was ridiculous how adorable Tony Stark was when he was asleep, it's a shame he had to wake up.

Pepper curled up next to him, wrapping one arm around his waist and snaking the other up into his hair, holding him tightly.

Tony sleepily reached out an arm for her waist, and cuddled her, breathing in the soft scent of her hair.

'_Good morning,' _JARVIS interrupted. _'The weather in Malibu is…'_

'Mute,' Tony mumbled sleepily, cuddling Pepper, who was wide awake at this point and smiled, kissing Tony's cheek tenderly.

'Come on, sleepy,' she said, nudging him in the ribs. 'We have to get up, we have to fly out to New York.'

'That sounds dull,' Tony said, and suddenly rolled over on top of her, holding his body weight carefully so as not to crush her and planting kisses along her collarbone.

'Now this is a lot more fun,' Tony said, biting her shoulder gently.

'I'm not denying that, but…' Pepper was cut off as Tony suddenly covered her mouth with his, one hand lost in her hair, the other holding her waist under her thin top.

Pepper closed her eyes and breathed him in, his soft, clean, safe scent with a vague hint of motor oil that was so _Tony. _

Pepper wrapped her legs around her waist and pulled him up against her, tracing the soft defined muscles of his back with one hand and running the other lazily through his thick dark hair.

'_Sir, Colonel Rhodes is on the phone,' _JARVIS informed them.

'Tell him to get lost,' Tony said, sliding one hand up under Pepper's top.

Pepper smiled against his lips. 'You know he won't just give up,' she said softly, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach from Tony lying on top of her.

'Challenge accepted,' Tony said, nuzzling her ear and planting kisses down her jawline, kissing her neck.

Pepper pulled herself up on her knees, making Tony pout in annoyance.

'Go answer the phone, and I'll be in the shower when you're done,' she said, grinning wickedly.

Tony stared at her, lost for words. 'Hurh?' he said.

'That isn't a word,' Pepper informed him, wrapping two arms around his neck and kissing him deeply, playing with the wedding ring on her finger. Tony wrapped his arms round her waist and tried to keep her there, but Pepper simply winked at him and sauntered off to the shower, stripping as she went.

'Don't keep me waiting, Mr Stark,' she said, sounding more sultry than normal.

'You got it, Mrs Stark,' Tony said, grinning after her.

* * *

'… Tony? Wake up.'

Beep, beep, beep.

'Tony?'

Tony opened his eyes slowly, focusing on Pepper's worried face and the face of a doctor stood next to her.

Beep, beep, beep.

He was still in hospital, in a hospital bed, wearing scrubs, not in the shower with a naked Pepper.

'Are you still my wife?' he asked, confused.

'Um… no, Tony,' Pepper said, looking at the doctor in worry.

'It's alright, Miss Potts,' the doctor said. 'He's been in a coma for 3 days these things are to be expected. Give him a few minutes he'll be right as rain.'

'Mrs Stark sounded better,' Tony grumbled. Pepper stared at him, confusion written clear as day all across her face.

'I'll give you a minute,' the doctor said, and left the room.

Pepper stared at him. 'Tony?' she said, her forehead screwed up with worry. 'You still in there?'

'Yes, mom, I'll tidy my cars away,' Tony said, making his eyes go cross-eyed.

Pepper stared, wide eyed in worry at him. Tony chuckled and grinned at her.

'I'm kidding, Peps,' he said. 'It's me, I'm back, don't worry. Although I still think "Pepper Stark" sounds better.'

'If this is your way of proposing…' Pepper said, wiping away tears. Tony reached for her hand, and she took it, squeezing it tightly.

Tony smiled. 'Don't worry, I know how to make a girl feel loved,' he said, grinning.

Pepper sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down to kiss him softly. 'I love you,' he said, grinning.

'What did I just say? Told you. I love you too, Pepperpot,' Tony said, smiling up at her. Then he frowned and pulled a face, realising he had to ask the obvious.

'How did the surgery go?'

Pepper broke out into the most genuine smile Tony had ever seen on her. 'It went perfectly, they removed the tumour. You're going to be okay, Tony.'

Tony grinned and pulled her down on top of him, covering her in kisses.

'Um… am I interrupting anything?' a voice came from the doorway.

'Yes you are,' Tony said, keeping his hands on Pepper's waist and kissing her solidly.

'Good to see you too, buddy,' Rhodey said, grinning and depositing an apple that had a grape attached to it on a cocktail stick.

Tony raised his eyebrows at it. 'What the hell is that?' he asked, incredulously.

'It's an edible arrangement,' Rhodey said, shrugging. 'Not a great one, but it's all I had in the kitchen.'

Tony gave him a look and Pepper chuckled.

'Well I guess you get points for trying, but you also lose a few for loss of creativity,' Tony informed him pointedly.

Rhodey gave a mock bow. 'Duly noted,' he said.

Pepper hugged Tony tightly and Rhodey playfully punched his arm. Pepper's heart was bursting with love, she couldn't remember ever being this happy. Finally, she had Tony back, and life could get back on track.

* * *

_So ends the Tony whumping :) One more chapter to go :) Please review!_


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